Wright Chat

This John Marsh Davis-Designed Home in California Has Only Had One Owner. It Just Hit the Market for $5 Million.

45 Vista Drive, Kentfield, CA 94904

Design Legacy of John Marsh Davis: Early Career: Wood Expressionism 1961-1979


David

I was taken to this astonishing house c. 2003 by someone I met at a performance of a play for which I had designed and built the set and furnishings. This man and his partner owned a little garden---no house---somewhere in Lagunitas, and wanted a small pavilion that they could camp in, there. That commission didn't come to fruition. But the visit to the Barbour house and one or two other Davis designs in the area (southern Marin's priciest and most secluded enclave) remains with me. I hadn't previously known of the architect. I am very grateful for another look---and for the floor plans.

I did not see the upper and lower levels of this house, nor did I realize that I was visiting a descendant of the original owners of the property (i.e., their daughter). Seeing it now, I am tempted to say that it seems part Bernard Maybeck, part Warren Callister. An unimpeded view of Mt Tamalpias from the master bedroom terrace--without another structure in sight---is just the icing on the cake. The perfect California (or Hawaii ?) residential experience . . .?

S

New one for me. Never seen this before.
Magical Marin!
Lucky you SDR - really.
The double stairs remind me of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, a favorite space. Will try to link a pic.
The aluminum sliders and GWB finish in the bedroom seem out of place though.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gangrenet ... 2A2-4RS6bg

Hard to capture with camera but this is a great gallery.

https://www.pinakothek.de/en

Apologies for this sidebar distraction

Built in 1965. Is all this wood Redwood?
Astonishing - is the perfect word for this place.

JMD was from Oklahoma and a student of Bruce Goff.

Thanks, Tom. It hadn't occurred to me to search for more on the architect.

https://bcvarch.com/about-us/blog-all/b ... rsh-davis/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Marsh_Davis

http://www.bungalux.com/listings/design ... arsh-davis

S

SDR - is all this untreated redwood?

I believe so. It was Jack Hillmer who, entranced by a slab of redwood displayed at an Expo he visited early on, deployed planed but unfinished redwood throughout his career.

S

That Belvedere house in my last link, above, is another triumph. (It appears that the "big barn" type appealed to Davis.) Note the fireplace, there, with its asymmetrical fireside seating peninsula---a Wrightian move if ever there was one ?

S

I have got to think that the sliders and drywall on the top floor are poor replacements for original wood materials that may have failed in this more exposed location.

I suppose it's possible. The fit is seamless, and the finish neat if a bit bright. Painting that drywall another color might be nice . . . or it could be replaced with wood surfaces.

I suppose the fairy lights could go. Perhaps, if that added lighting is deemed necessary or desirable, a more subtle installation could be arranged ?

S

Regarding the Belvedere house: what type of wood is used here SDR, as far as you can tell?

Without larger or closer photos it's hard to tell. I suspect that there's a lot of redwood there . . .

S

... I thought Redwood was a lot darker - the Belvedere wood seems distinctly "blondish"

Redwood darkens when weathered; depending on finish, it can retain a lighter color indoors. That said, it really isn't possible to ascertain species of surfaces far from the camera and/or presented in small format.

A comparison could be made to the Barbour house photos; that building is largely clad and finished with redwood, I believe.

S